Loncin XWolf 550 packs a punch at a reasonable price

Recent years have seen an increasing number of Chinese brands enter the European market in a bid to offer end users bang for their buck across all industries and sectors.

While some brands and products are purely built to a budget using inferior materials and components, there are more and more brands now offering higher-quality products.

In an era where the traditional ‘premium’ all-terrain vehicle (ATV) brands are reaching soon-to-be unaffordable prices for many consumers, these higher-quality Chinese brands are making a strong inroad onto the Irish market. One of these higher quality brands new to the ATV market is Loncin.

We recently had the opportunity to spend some time with the XWolf 550, 500cc utility-derived ATV, a fairly new contender on the Irish ATV market.

Background

Loncin Motor Co is a privately owned Chinese manufacturer, established in 1993. Today, the brand has three main business pillars: manufacturing motorcycles; motor cycle engines; and general-purpose engines for generators, power washers, lawn mowers etc.

The brand has a strong heritage building engines for household names such as BMW motorcycles, Castlegarden lawnmowers and Husqvarna to mention a few.

In 2000, Loncin Recreational Vehicles was formed as a subsidiary of Loncin Motor Co and since has specialised in the manufacture of ATVs and utility task vehicles (UTVs). With a reasonably new lineup of six models from 200cc to 1,000cc, the company is making strides in the European market.

Last year, DAVMO Ltd – based in Kells, Co Meath – took on the distribution of Loncin products for both the UK and Irish market. With a strong presence at the Lamma Show and the AJS Spring Farm Machinery show series here in Ireland in recent months, the firm is working hard to establish both the brand and a strong dealer representation. So far, a total of 15 dealers have been appointed to cover both the UK and Ireland, with more in the pipeline.

Already, over 290 machines have been sold onto the Irish and UK market, with the XWolf 550 proving the most popular for farm use.

Appearance and build

On first impressions the XWolf range is appealing to the eye and features many traits we now almost expect on any new machine. The body panels are constructed from a durable plastic and are well put together, the same goes for the footwells. The tubular chassis/frame appears strongly built and reinforced in all the necessary locations. LED headlights and taillights are fitted as standard and add to the overall appearance with the rear one-piece taillight spanning the entire width of the quad. Although not equipped with a front bull bar, the front appears sturdy and rugged.

Like some of the other Chinese machines we have tested out over the years, the XWolf is no different in that a high level of specification is offered as standard. These extras include power steering, an electric winch rated for 1,133kg and homologated for road use. Together, these are extras that would total in excess of €1,000 with any of today’s premium brand machines.

The dash display is clean and crisp, showing all necessary information in an intuitive manner. On the other hand, the switch gear on the handlebars feels of better quality than it initially looked. Although popular amongst many manufacturers, the absence of the left hand brake lever is a big miss for those used to riding machines fitted with both levers.

Rack capacities are in or around the same as others on the market, offering 40kg up front and 60kg on the rear. Rated towing capacity is well up there with the highest in class at 820kg. In terms of on-board storage, there is a waterproof compartment located on the right-hand front wing and a large compartment centrally positioned at the rear.

Driveline

Between the rider’s legs is Loncin’s own four-stroke, single-cylinder liquid cooled engine. This setup uses a Bosch EFI fuel system and churns out a total 500cc, or 50.3hp, at 6,700rpm.

Coupled to the engine is a belt-driven CVT transmission sourced from Canadian company, CVTech. Using the left-hand gated lever, riders can navigate between low, high, neutral, reverse and park gears. In addition to the switchable 4WD, both front and rear differential can be locked to further aid traction as required.

Having spent some time with the XWolf 550, we found the engine response a little on the lazy side and in need of plenty of rev to propel itself forward in a snappy manner.

While gear shift are not just as smooth as the Suzuki Kingquad, it is smoother than most on the market. Any time a gear proved awkward to select, a pull of the brake lever helped ease it into position.

Overall, the transmission is smooth and steady. Top speed of the test machine was restricted to 60km/h at which point the engine starts to splutter and the transmission restricts itself. Although good from a safety perspective, the speed limiter can be removed if necessary. Under load with a 5ft x 3ft general-purpose quad trailer filled with 450kg worth of sticks, we surprisingly found it equally responsive with the trailer as without.

Suspension

Although pretty much an industry standard at this stage, the XWolf 550 is fitted out with front and rear independent dual-A arm suspension, offering 19cm of travel up front and 23cm at the rear. We found this a little on the stiff side which suits farm use well, especially when loading the cargo racks or mounting a sprayer or fencing box. We also felt the slightly firmer suspension setup results in better road handling.

In terms of stopping power, the quad is fitted with 210mm disc brakes in each corner, controlled via the single brake lever positioned on the right-hand brake lever. The XWolf comes fitted with 25/8 R12 front and 25/10 R12 rear tyres as standard.

The Loncin XWolf 550 surpassed our expectations, cemented by the brand’s success and strong reputation in the small-engine sector now for decades.

Taking the entire package into consideration from price to performance, the XWolf 550 would take some serious beating for the non-brand aligned rider looking for a quad to do a job at a reasonable price.

Furthermore, with some slight refinements in certain areas, it is a machine that would certainly hold its own among models from the top contenders in the market. Although we didn’t get the opportunity to test it out on the trailed Walco fertiliser spreader, we feel it would be a task better suited to the XWolf 700 purely down to its extra power.